Abstract
Drawing on the analytical distinction between agency and social structure, I provide insights into four strategies used by skilled refugees to navigate labour market constraints: pre-empting, to avoid present labour market constraints; circumventing present constraints, to realise future benefits; persisting in the search for skilled jobs via mobilising longstanding patterns of thought and action; and exercising voice to drive future system improvements that benefit similar others. It is striking how these strategies harmonised self-interest and others’ interests. I highlight the interplay between social structure and agency in labour market strategies to depict skilled refugees as reflexive agents of change. I highlight gender-based nuances in skilled refugees’ labour market moves and conclude by outlining the implications of my findings for HRM practice.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | Human Resource Management Journal |
| Early online date | 10 Jun 2024 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 10 Jun 2024 |
Bibliographical note
Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Human Resource Management Journal published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.Keywords
- agency
- refugees
- social structure
- temporal orientation